Blacks in Iowa arrested at rates higher than other races

Law enforcement agencies in dozens of Iowa communities and counties over a two-year period arrested blacks at rates that were up to almost 10 times that of people of other races, a lopsided trend that mirrors the nation, according to an analysis of arrest records by USA TODAY and The Des Moines Register.

The issue, while not new, is getting renewed attention after this summer's police-involved shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo. Community groups nationwide are calling for a closer examination of arrest and incarceration rates of blacks as well as the decriminalization of some acts such as possession of small amounts of marijuana.

"I'm not deceived that African-Americans commit crimes," said Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP. "But it's not at a rate that is that much higher than people of other races. The numbers show that it's happening a lot.

"We live in a culture that sees African-Americans as a threat."

Andrews said it's not uncommon to hear stories of police detaining blacks and whites for similar things, but winding up charging African-Americans and not whites.

A year-old study by the American Civil Liberties Union supports Andrews' assertion. The study, released in 2013, showed that blacks in Iowa were about eight times more likely to be arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana than a white person, even though both groups used the drug at about the same rate. That disparity was the worst in the nation, the report found.

The data law enforcement agencies submitted to the FBI in 2011 and 2012 show:

• Blacks were arrested at 9.9 times the rate of people of other races in Bettendorf. That disparity was the highest in Iowa. Two percent of the eastern Iowa community's population is black.

• Blacks were arrested at 7.4 times the rate of people of other races in Urbandale, the greatest disparity in the Des Moines-metro area. Three percent of Urbandale's population is black.

• Blacks were arrested at 1.7 times the rate of people of other races in Buena Vista County. That disparity rate was the lowest in the state. Three percent of the county's population is black.

Police officials in several Iowa communities said arrests rates are skewed because many people arrested by their officers live outside their jurisdiction. In addition, many arrests are made after private security officers detain people for such things as shoplifting. That means a suspect was singled out by someone other than a police officer, police officials said.

"It's quite unusual for a police officer to witness a crime that takes place in their presence," said Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec, whose department arrested blacks at a rate six times that for other races. "When you consider all the big-box stores and other shopping areas we have in Ankeny and the hotels that we have and that people come here from out of town, those are all things that contribute in a large part to those percentages."

In 2011 and 2012, 87 blacks were arrested in Ankeny, the FBI data show. Six were from Chicago and had set up a counterfeiting ring at a local hotel, passing fake $50 bills, Mikulec said. Another six were part of a shoplifting ring that moved into Ankeny, he said.

"Only 14 of the 87 (blacks arrested) resided in Ankeny," he said. "I think when you look at numbers like these you can overlook the fact that people are mobile and are traveling, going from one zip code to another."

Police chiefs in Urbandale and Bettendorf both said that they consistently review arrest data and address any red flags that may emerge. Both also said their officers regularly receive diversity and other training.

"This isn't an area we want to be a leader in," Urbandale Police Chief Ross McCarty said. "But I'm confident we have best practice models in place…. I've looked at the numbers and nothing jumps out at me."

Said Bettendorf Police Chief Phil Redington: "I think it's good for communities to look at those numbers to determine if there's an issue, because you want your police department to be a reflection of the community."

Redington said the arrest disparity between blacks and those of other races would be concerning if Bettendorf was isolated from other communities. However, it's part of the Quad Cities, borders Illinois and has two interstate highways passing through it.

"Many of the arrests we make or traffic stops we do are of people from outside our city," he said.

Judy Bradshaw, assistant director of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, said while it's easy to measure the disparities, it's more appropriate to look at what contributes to skewed arrest rates. Among them, she said, are the economic, education and health gaps that persist in the many minority communities, but particularly among African-Americans.

"I believe we do the community a disservice if we don't look at this issue holistically," said the former Des Moines police chief. "We need to do things like have a conversation about how we go about supporting our youth so they don't end up incarcerated."

Ako Abdul-Samad, an Iowa legislator and CEO of the Creative Visions community agency, agreed.

"We have to get at the root of the disparity instead of dealing with the symptoms," he said. "We're talking about a target population that feels disconnected because the system doesn't look at them like human beings. Ferguson brought this to a head. It's festered all over the country, including Iowa."

Arrest rates for blacks in Iowa

Forty-one Iowa law enforcement jurisdictions arrest blacks at a higher rate than people of other races, an analysis by USA TODAY shows. The analysis included only agencies that reported a total of at least 200 arrests in 2011 and 2012 and had a black population of at least 500. In Bettendorf, blacks were arrested at a rate 9.9 times that of people of other races, the analysis showed. To see the full database for Iowa, go to this story at DesMoinesRegister.com.

Source: USA TODAY analysis of data from the U.S. Census, FBI and U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics